Commodities or Stamps: Sampling the Soup
poison: Some 1 ,600 Indians on the Flathead Reservation may find themselves in the middle of the food crisis by the middle of next year.
The problem is Congress and the U.S. Department of Agriculture want to close down the St. Ignatius Surplus Commodities Food Office by June 30, 1974. They want to replace the commodities program here and throughout the United States with food stamps. Food
stamps are coupons low-income people buy from county welfare at a discount and use to buy groceries of their choice at participating markets.
But the Tribe and Lake County feel that switching 1,596 Indians and narly 1,00 0 other persons from free commodities to discount food stamps might be an intolerable burden. The County has officially appealed to the Montana Department of Social and Rehabilitation Ser-
vices to delay the switch because they feel it would result in a "special hardship in this area."
Both the Tribe and the County feel that food stamps, which can cost the recipient as much as three-fourths of the retail value of the food, would be a financial millstone for persons now using commodities. Both also feel that stricter certification procedures under the food stamp program, which requires that recipients must be recerti-
fied each month in Poison, would be very difficult for people living in the extreme southern part of the reservation.
But there is another side to the story. Commodities, as everybody who receives them must have noticed recently, are not what they used to be. Earlier this year cheese, one of the tastiest and most highly valued commodities, disappeared from monthly packages, (cont. on page 5)
Tribe Polls 18-Year-Old Vote Saturday
Two Issues To Be Resolved
Ronan: This Saturday 1,866 Tribal Members will decide whether or not the change the Tribal Constitution to allow 18 year olds a vote in tribal elections.
That is the issue in the Nov. | 17 Constitutional referendum. But behind the lowered voting •ge proposition is another Issue. The question of whether or not 1^12 non-resident tribal members who registered for this election are really eligible to vote is still at stake in the U. S. District Court in Missoula. During a hearing Oct. 11, U.S. District Court Judge William Jameson ordered the contested election to go ahead with I the provision that ballots from ^members who are not constitutional y qualified to vote in Tri bal Council elections be marked i Off Reservation" and counted separately. In this way, Judge ^meson said, the election could Proceed and be valid whichever l^y the court decides on the ^-reservation vote case. Off reservation tribal mem-are voting in this election use of a ruling by the Deponent of the Interior which uld permit non-residents to a say in constitutional Letters of reservations which fere formed as "tribes" ra-&r than "residents". The tribe
(cont. on paqe 3)
(Ehar^oosta
15(f
THE BI-WEEKLY NEWSPAPER OF THE SALISIL PEND'd QRPELLES AND KOOTENAI TRIBES OF THE FLATHEAD RESERVATION
Volume 3 Number 14 FULL MOON OF AUTUMN (Nov. 15, 1973)
Three District Races Spark Council Elections
Dixon: As yet, no incumbents have filed for re-election to five Tribal Council seats open in the December 15 election, but three races have developed.
A three-way race for the Ronan seat currently held by Jim Ely has developed with 22 days left to file. Phillip Paul, who is 22 years old, is pitted against his 30 year old brother, John David Paul, and Tribal Associate Judge Josephine Neuman.
Two young people have thrown their hats into the Arlee district ring for the seat now held by Fred Whitworth. They are 22 year old Steven Howlett and 22 year old Sandra Pierre McCrea.
A two-way race in Poison between 32 year old Daniel Tenasand 4 5 year-old Francis
Stinger has also developed. The Poison seat is currently held by Bill Morigeau.
Nadine Felsman Allison is the only contender for the St. Ignatius seat now held by Harold Mitchell. There are no candidates as yet for Pat Lefthand's Elmo seat.
The deadline for declaring candidacy for the Tribal Council is 4:3 0 p.m. November 3 0. Filing must be made to the Tribal Secretary in Dixon.
Qualifications for the office are:
—-Membership In the Tribe ---One year's residency in the district to be represented —At least 21 years of age.
The election for the five tribal council seats will be hpld ' continued on page 5)
Six File For Con-Committee
Dixon:Six persons have filed their candidacy for a special committee to review and rewrite the tribe's 3 8 year-old constitution.
The six who had filed as of November 7 are: Douglas Al-lard, for the St. Ignatius District...Edward Matt, Arlee.... Rose Cline, Poison...R.Louis Dupuis, Pablo...Margaret Fried-lander, Hot Springs...and Mary Stasso Pierre, Arlee.
The election for the ten person committee will be held December 15, at the same time resident tribal members vote for five Tribal Council positions. The committee will consist of one member from each politi-
(please turn page'